ABC Files FCC Complaint Over Forced Early License Renewals, Calls It Political Retaliation
Walt Disney's ABC filed a 119-page complaint with the US Federal Communications Commission on Thursday, accusing the agency of retaliating against its eight television stations by forcing early license renewal reviews. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr denied the censorship allegations, saying the review stems from evidence of discriminatory hiring practices under Disney's diversity, equity and inclusion policies. The dispute dates to April 2026, when Carr summoned the eight stations for early review, and escalated after President Trump urged the FCC to revoke ABC's licenses.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has responded to censorship allegations raised by Walt Disney's ABC, insisting that the review of the network's broadcast licenses stems from evidence of alleged discriminatory hiring practices rather than political factors. ABC filed a 119-page regulatory filing on Thursday accusing the FCC of sending a warning signal to media companies nationwide through its review of the network's eight television licenses. The network's lawyers said in the filing that retaliation against ABC is a signal to every media company that they must cater to the government's views on news coverage or pay a price.
Carr denied the allegations and said he does not consider the FCC to be a speech police. He explained that the license review stems from an ongoing investigation into ABC's diversity, equity and inclusion policies, not a reaction to its news coverage. Carr detailed his concerns in an interview, noting that the Disney case involves evidence of race- and gender-based discrimination within the company, covering hiring, promotion, compensation and job opportunities. He said that if these allegations are ultimately confirmed, they would raise serious questions about the company's eligibility to hold broadcast licenses.
An FCC spokesperson reiterated that broadcasters must serve the public interest rather than the narrow or partisan interests of any political party, and are prohibited from discriminatory practices, hoaxes and news distortion. The spokesperson said that regardless of any disinformation campaigns certain broadcasters choose to conduct, the FCC will hold them accountable under the law. ABC's complaint cited more than 153,000 public comments, as well as warnings from Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and Republican Senator Ted Cruz about regulatory overreach.
America First Legal has petitioned the FCC to deny ABC's license renewals and called for the case to proceed to an administrative hearing. The organization's president, Daniel Suhr, said Disney's lawyers cannot make these records disappear. The dispute dates to April 2026, when Carr summoned eight Disney-owned television stations for early license review. This month, President Trump publicly urged the FCC to revoke ABC's and NBC's licenses over their handling of presidential addresses, further escalating the dispute. ABC has retained prominent litigators, including former Solicitor General Paul Clement, to respond to the review.